Remedy or Ripoff Miracle Burn

A diet product says it'll give you a trimmer, healthier, better looking body in seven days guaranteed. Is that really possible? And how do you know a company that makes those claims is legit?

There are so many diet pills out there that make unsubstantiated claims. The FDA and FTC try to teach consumers how to be aware of fraudulent, or at least unsubstantiated claims. When a company makes huge claims, the Federal Trade Commission wants you to think along the lines of buyer beware. And when they won’t talk about their product, making their claims unsubstantiated….that’s even more concerning. Which brings us to Miracle Burn.

The product--a combination of hoodia and a proprietary blend of herbs--is called by the company a “miracle pill”. In fact, in this internet mailing, they say “You won’t need to diet.” Melanie Rogers, a registered dietician, says, “So it looks as though it could therefore have quite an impact on weight loss, but what is not evident is in fact do any of these single ingredients actually give you weight loss. We certainly don't see any studies that attest to that.”

They claim one two week study--on what is allegedly an active ingredient in hoodia--but you can’t read the study. And it’s not on the product miracle burn itself. And it’s only a two week study--nothing long term. But let’s go back to the claims. The federal trade commission warns about “undocumented case histories or personal testimonials.”

This testimonial on the miracle burn website …by Martha C. Says, in a month and a half, she, “…lost a total of 43 lbs.” There are many others. Now, the federal trade commission also warns: a claim is too good to be true if it says the product will cause substantial weight loss in all users, which it defines as a loss of 15 pounds in any time period. Something this amazing--you might think they would want to talk about it.

We wanted to give the company the opportunity to demonstrate their claims are indeed valid, that there is proof behind them. Yet, after numerous requests for an on-camera interview, they declined. Our contact at Urban Nutrition: Dave M. No last name, no title. The miracle burn website says that the company which makes it, Excell Now, LLC is a real dietary supplement company.

And it says, Excell Now, LLC is no little ‘fly-by-night’ online store. It appears the company isn’t just Excell Now, LLC; it’s also Urban Nutrition, LLC. Same phone numbers, same company. And Miracle Burn is listed as an Urban Nutrition product. There is an address for the excell now company on the box……302A West 12th St, #276… the same as that of Urban Nutrition (their mailing says Suite 276).

So, we went there to try to get some questions answered. But all it was was a Mailboxes, Etc. And Suite 276….was a box (or, a really, really small suite). Those at Mailboxes, Etc. said there was no one from Excell Now, LLC; the company just rented a box. The Better Business Bureau of Indiana says in a July, 2006 reports regarding Urban Nutrition “This company has the bureau’s lowest rating. They advertise a 100% product guarantee, but refuse to give refunds when the consumer is dissatisfied.”

Another report, as of March 26, 2007 from the New Jersey Better Business Bureau says “based on BBB files, this company has an unsatisfactory record with the bureau due to unanswered and unresolved complaints and failure to substantiate or modify advertising claims. The company has resolved most complaints presented by the bureau, however, some complaints remain unresolved or unanswered.”

Ms. Rogers says, “Without proper clinical studies to back up you know what the claims are with this particular product I don’t really see any benefits what so ever.” If we could have spoken with them, I’d guess Dave M. And the folks in Suite 276 would disagree.